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Bayonne, New Jersey
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Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, south of Jersey City. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 61,842. The Census Bureau's 2006 population estimate for Bayonne is 58,844, a decrease of 4.8% from 2000.
According to tradition, the city derives its name from the city of Bayonne in France. It is said that French Huguenots settled there some time before New Amsterdam was founded.
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Encyclopedia
Bayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, south of Jersey City. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 61,842. The Census Bureau's 2006 population estimate for Bayonne is 58,844, a decrease of 4.8% from 2000.
According to tradition, the city derives its name from the city of Bayonne in France. It is said that French Huguenots settled there some time before New Amsterdam was founded. French-speaking Walloons were a large percentage of the population of New Netherland during the mid-seventeenth century and may have given the name. However, there are no historical records to prove this. A 1904 history suggests that the area's developers named it Bayonne because it is on the shores of two bays, Newark and New York, hence Bay-on, or "on the Bays". Bayonne is a diverse city, with large communities of Italian, Irish and Polish Americans.
Bayonne was originally formed as a township on April 1, 1861, from portions of Bergen Township. Bayonne was reincorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 10, 1869, replacing Bayonne Township, subject to the results of a referendum held nine days later.
History
Bayonne was first home to the Lenni Lenape Native Americans before the arrival of Henry Hudson. Henry Hudson first sailed through the Kill Van Kull into Newark Bay in 1609, where it is said he dropped anchor at Birds' Point, now Constable Hook. Hudson claimed the area for the Netherlands. Then in 1646, Dutch West India Company gave John Jacobson Roy, chief gunner or konstapel at Fort Amsterdam, a grant of land later known as Constable Hook. Further expansion of the territory came in 1654 when Dutch Director-General Peter Stuyvesant gave out numerous land grants in the upper part of the peninsula (modern-day 30th street) which, was named Pamrapo. In 1661, the Bergen Township was formed by the Dutch which, stretched southward to Bergen Point. The area then came under British rule in 1664 after they defeated the Dutch for the area. In 1714, the Township of Bergen became one of three townships in the new County of Bergen. In 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, British and patriot forces clashed at Fort Delancy in what is now Bayonne.
In 1836, the Morris Canal which ran from Phillipsburg to Newark during the time, was extended to Bergen Neck to New York Bay. On March 15, 1861 the New Jersey Legislature approved unification of Bergen Point, Centerville, Salterville, and Constable Hook into the Township of Bayonne. The City of Bayonne was approved by the New Jersey Legislature in 1869. Industrial growth came to Constable Hook in 1872 when Standard Oil bought land there. Later, in 1875 Prentice Oil Company also established at Constable Hook. It would later be sold to a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad called Empire Transportation Company, a competitor of Standard Oil. Even more expansion came to Bayonne when Tide Water Oil Company, previously located in Pennsylvania, relocated.
Geography
Bayonne is located south of Jersey City on a peninsula surrounded by New York Bay to the east, Newark Bay to the west, and the Kill van Kull to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.2 square miles (29.1 kmē), of which, 5.6 square miles (14.6 kmē) of it is land and 5.6 square miles (14.6 kmē) of it (50.04%) is water.
Communities within Bayonne include Bergen Point and Constable Hook.
Climate
Bayonne, like New York City has a humid subtropical climate according to the Koppen climate classification. The climate in Bayonne is moderated by the nearby ocean and surrounding waters.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,842 people, 25,545 households, and 16,016 families residing in the city. The population density was 10,992.2 people per square mile (4,241.1/kmē). There were 26,826 housing units at an average density of 4,768.2/sq mi (1,839.7/kmē). The racial makeup of the city was 78.64% White, 5.52% African American, 0.17% Native American, 4.14% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 7.46% from other races, and 4.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.81% of the population.
As of the 2000 census, the ancestry of Bayonne residents was: Italian (20.1%), Irish (18.8%), Polish (17.9%), German (6.1%), Arab (3.8%), United States (2.5%).
There were 25,545 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,566, and the median income for a family was $52,413. Males had a median income of $39,790 versus $33,747 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,553. About 8.4% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Local government
The City of Bayonne is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government by a mayor and a five-member city council. The council has three members from wards and two elected at large, all of whom serve four-terms in office, elected concurrently in non-partisan elections.
The current Mayor of Bayonne is Mark Smith, who won a special election in November 2008 to fill the unexpired term of former mayor Joseph Doria, who stepped down on September 18, 2007 to serve as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.
Members of the Bayonne City Council are:
- Vincent Lo Re Jr. - Council President- At-large
- Anthony Chiappone - At-large
- Theodore Connolly - First Ward
- John Halecky - Second Ward
- Gary La Pelusa - Third Ward
Federal, state and county representation
Bayonne is split between the Tenth and Thirteenth Congressional Districts and is part of New Jersey's 31st Legislative District.
For the 2008-2009 legislative session, the 31st District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the Assembly by Bayonne's Anthony Chiappone.
Education
Public schools
The Bayonne Board of Education currently serves around 9,600 students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are ten PreK-8 elementary schools
(710 students),
(405),
Dr. Walter F. Robinson No. 3 (583),
(471),
(471),
(603),
(1,099),
(688),
(562) and
(734) , an advanced school for gifted and talented students in academics, the arts, and physical education, for students in grades Pre-k to 8. In order to be part of the Gifted and Talented Program from grades 4-8, students in the 3rd grade must pass a test to see if they will stay at that school.; and Bayonne High School for grades 9-12 (3,005). Bayonne High School is the only public school in the state to have an on-campus ice rink for its hockey team.
For the 2004-05 school year, Mary J. Donohoe No. 4 School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve. It is the fourth school in Bayonne to receive this honor. The other three are Bayonne High School in 1995-96, Midtown Community School in 1996-97 and P.S. #14 in the 1998-99 school year.
Horace Mann No. 6 was also named one of the 2006 Just for the Kids Benchmark Schools.
P.S. 14 was named a National Blue Ribbon School in Fall 2008.
Private schools
Private high schools in Bayonne include Holy Family Academy and Marist High School. Private elementary schools are All Saints Catholic Academy.
Transportation
Car
Bayonne is connected to Staten Island, New York by the Bayonne Bridge. The Bayonne Bridge is lit in patriotic colors (red, white & blue) in the evenings, as a 9/11 memorial initiated by a then 8-year-old girl in the summer of 2002, Veronica Marie Granite, with the assistance of then-Municipal Councilmember-at-Large Maria Karczewski.
The Newark Bay Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 78) provides access to Jersey City and, via the Holland Tunnel, Manhattan. In the opposite direction on the Newark Bay Extension, the Newark Bay Bridge provides access to Newark, Newark Liberty International Airport and the rest of the Turnpike (Interstate 95).
Route 440 runs along the east side of Bayonne, and the west side of Jersey City, following the old Morris Canal route. Although it has traffic lights it is usually the quickest way to go north-south within Bayonne. It connects to the Bayonne Bridge, I-78, and to Route 185 to Liberty State Park.
The Bayonne Bridge, which connects Bayonne to Staten Island, was completed in November, 1931. At the time, it was the longest steel arch bridge ever constructed. Today, it is the third-longest such bridge, with the Lupu Bridge in Shanghai, China and the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia being first- and second-longest respectively.
Bus
Bus transportation is provided on three main north-south streets of the city: Broadway, Kennedy Boulevard, and Avenue C, both by the state-operated New Jersey Transit and several private bus lines. The Broadway line runs solely inside Bayonne city limits, while bus lines on Avenue C and Kennedy Boulevard run to various end points in Jersey City. One Kennedy Boulevard service (the Coach USA 99S) runs to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan, New York City, and rush hours peak direction the NJ Transit 120 runs between Avenue C in Bayonne and Battery Park in Downtown Manhattan, while the 81 provides service to New Jersey.
Light Rail
The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, which was completed in the year 2000 currently has stops throughout Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City and North Bergen.
Stations in Bayonne are:
A fourth station, 8th Street, which will be located at Avenue C, is under construction. Incidentally, all of these stations were the original train stations for the old Central Jersey railway system.
Service within Bayonne is available between these three stations. Northbound service from Bayonne runs through Jersey City, mostly near the waterfront, to Hoboken Terminal. Other parts of the system can be accessed via transfers. The Tonnelle Avenue (in North Bergen) and other stations north of Hoboken Terminal can also be reached by transferring at stations between Liberty State Park and Pavonia-Newport for the West Side Avenue-Tonnelle Avenue route, or at Hoboken Terminal for the Tonelle Avenue-Hoboken route. The Liberty State Park station is a transfer point for those traveling between Bayonne and stations on the West Side Avenue (Jersey City) line. Connection to PATH trains to midtown Manhattan and to New Jersey Transit commuter train service are available at Hoboken Terminal, and connections to PATH trains to midtown Manhattan are available at the Hoboken Terminal and Pavonia-Newport stations. Transfers to PATH trains to Newark, Harrison, and downtown Manhattan are available at Exchange Place.
Commerce
Urban Enterprise Zone
Portions of Bayonne are part of an Urban Enterprise Zone . In addition to other benefits to encourage employment within the Zone, shoppers can take advantage of a reduced 3―% sales tax rate (versus the 7% rate charged statewide).
Current building projects
Currently, the city of Bayonne is working on building projects on the former Military Ocean Terminal (MOTBY). Plans for the site include new housing and businesses.
Bayonne Golf Club, a private Irish/Scottish-links style golf course is planned to be constructed on the site of the former city dump. A flagpole, displaying a large American flag that is visible from Manhattan and surrounding communities, has been erected at the site where the clubhouse will be built in 2007.
Proposed projects include construction of the September 11th memorial park for the Tear of Grief monument, and completing Bayonne's section of the 18-mile Hackensack RiverWalk, stretching from Newark Bay in Bayonne to Bellman's Creek in North Bergen.
The RiverWalk section in Bayonne, if fully completed, would run from the southwest corner of the town in an area where the Kill Van Kull meets the Newark Bay, to the northwestern point of the area. That is according to Joseph Ryan, spokesperson for Bayonne Mayor Joseph Doria.
The ribbon was cut and the plaque unveiled on May 2, 2006, for the new Richard A. Rutkowski Park in Bayonne, a wetlands preserve on the northwestern end of Bayonne, which will be part of the future RiverWalk. Also known as the Waterfront Park and Environmental Walkway, it is located immediately north of the Stephen R. Gregg Hudson County Park.
Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine joined a contingent of state and federal officials to announce on May 6, 2006. that funding was in place to extend the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail system to Eighth Street in Bayonne. With the engineering work nearly complete, work on the rail line and the station is expected to start by 2008 and should be complete by 2009.
Bayonne Crossing
The long-planned Bayonne Crossing, a power center to be located on Route 440, has finally gotten the green light to begin construction, according to a statement made by Michael O'Connor, executive director of the Bayonne Economic Development Corp. Cameron Group, the conditional developer for the site, will soon begin construction. Announced tenants include anchor stores Circuit City, Lowe's Home Improvement, and New York Sports Club, as well as Starbucks Coffee, Chili's, and Sleepys.
Local media
In popular culture
- In the 1997 film Men in Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, they mention that Bayonne has been taken over by aliens.
- Bayonne is often used as the butt of jokes on television shows such as The Odd Couple (Frosty the maid was hailed as the "Beast from Bayonne") another episode Oscar says about his loyal poker buddies "Guys I got my hand stamped together at Bayonne High" , Barney Miller, The Golden Girls (episode with Mickey Rooney Season 3) and All in the Family, among many others.
- The film Men of Honor, starring Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding Jr. takes place in Bayonne, the character played by De Niro also mentions Bayonne during a welcome.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Bayonne include:
- Ben Bernie (1891-1943), bandleader, author, violinist, composer and conductor who wrote Sweet Georgia Brown.
- Joe Borowski, professional baseball player.
- Paul "Cubby"Bryant (born 1971), New York radio personality currently on 103.5 WKTU.
- Sandra Dee, actress best known for her role in the film Gidget.
- Barney Frank, member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts since 1981.
- Rick Gomez, actor who appeared in over 30 productions including Band of Brothers as Sgt. George Luz.
- Herman Kahn, military strategist.
- Brian Keith (1921-1997), film and TV actor who appeared in The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming and as Uncle Bill in Family Affair.
- Frank Langella (born 1940), actor who has appeared in over 70 productions including Dave and Good Night, and Good Luck..
- Jammal Lord (born 1981), former safety for the Houston Texans.
- George R. R. Martin, author and screenwriter of science fiction, horror, and fantasy.
- Gene Olaff (born 1920), early professional soccer goalie.
- William Stape, writer of the 1994 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Homeward" and the 1995 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Prophet Motive".
See also
- List of Mayors of Bayonne, New Jersey
External links
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